


Running Buddies

by The_Kinky_Pet



Series: Stories in the Power & Paradox Universe [8]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Gen, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-13
Updated: 2016-01-13
Packaged: 2018-05-13 19:08:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,297
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5713783
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Kinky_Pet/pseuds/The_Kinky_Pet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After his talk with Clint in the elevator, Steve is upset.  Really upset.</p><p>Luckily, his running buddy has a good sense of perspective.</p><p>(Set during chapter 47 of P&P companion piece for “Missing the Mark.”)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Running Buddies

**Author's Note:**

  * For [noman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/noman/gifts).



> Dedicated to noman who I think will be pleased to meet the running buddy and helped inspire me to write this ficlet. :)

Really, it was no big deal. Just a Saturday morning run in Central Park. Just like every Saturday. So what if for the past three Saturdays he’d ended up running with (okay, trailing after) Captain America, then had a little chat and drank coffee to-go in the park while talking about the service and adjusting to civilian life. No big deal. Captain A— _Steve_ was just a regular guy.

(Not star struck. No hero worship. Nah. Not at all.)

Sam could hear unnaturally fast running behind him and was ready with a smile and his joking, “Don’t say it, man! Don’t say it!”

But Captain Ame— _Steve_ just ran past at that freaky speed of his, with a grimace plastered on his face. No smile, no ‘on your left.’ Just there and gone like he hadn’t noticed Sam.

(Oh. Okay. No biggie.)

Sam kept up his usual light run—he was more of a distance man than a sprinter. It wasn’t _too_ bitterly cold out this morning and everything was still holiday cheerful, with the decorations in the park. Just having a nice run. Like usual.

(Not trying to hang with Captain A--- Damn it! _Steve_.)

Sam had only made it a quarter length of the Park when Steve went blitzing past again like the flash, still grimacing.

(Okay, something was up. He’d never seen the guy scowl like that.)

Sam tried not to take it personally when Cap just ran past him three more times. By then Sam had come to their usual coffee stand and decided, what the hell, even if he drank it alone he deserved some goddamn coffee and a rest on that park bench.

He was only a few sips in when Steve showed up.

“Hey,” Steve said, waving awkwardly. “Sorry I wasn’t a very good running buddy today.”

Sam shrugged. “Are you ever? I can’t keep up.”

Steve cracked a little smile and asked, “Mind if I join you?”

“Sure, man,” Sam said. “You want coffee? Think it’s my turn to buy.”

And Steve gave him this big grateful puppy smile and, hey, who could stay pissed at that guy?

“Thanks,” Steve said. “That’d be great.”

So Sam bought him a coffee—black, extra large—from the grumpy guy at the cart, tipped the guy a dollar (cause being in the cold all day gotta suck), and brought it to Steve.

“So,” Sam said, leaving it light and open as they began to stroll, “What’s up?”

Steve shook his head. “Just had kind of a bad morning,” he said, then amended it, “Actually, it started off as a pretty fantastic morning, then—“ He shrugged.

“That sucks,” Sam said vaguely, taking a sip of coffee.

“Yeah,” Steve said, then bit his lip and turned to Sam with a concerned air. “Can I talk to you about something? I mean, we’re—we’re kinda friends now, right?”

He asked it like he thought Sam might actually say 'no.' Sam’s heart did something funny that he hoped didn’t show on his face as he reached out to slug Steve on the arm.

“Hell yeah, man. We’re tight," Sam said with a grin. "What’s goin’ on you wanna talk about?”

“Just, there’s this special fella, see?” Steve began, a little stammeringly.

“A _sub_ ,” Steve clarified. “And I—well, I’ve been sweet on him for ages.”

Sam blinked. So, that was 100% not what he’d been expecting.

Steve got this kinda faraway look on his face as he rambled on, “Just, he’s brave and handsome and whiplash smart, so smart it’s scary, and strong and independent, but he can be so kind and generous too . . . He’s just—“

(Holy shit!) 

Sam nearly choked on his coffee; Steve didn't notice.

(It was Stark! Had to be! Maybe? Right?)

Steve was rambling on: “ . . . nobody knows yet, ‘cause the press is gonna make a big thing out of it and, well, just we want some privacy, you know? But we told our, uh, mutual friends.”

(Right. So, the Avengers.)

“We told them this morning. But see, he—my special fella—people say terrible things about him. Like, just because he’s not some, uh . . . some blushing virgin, like that makes him trash—“ Steve’s practically spitting the words and Sam has to stifle his smile at Captain America’s righteous indignation.

(And, yeah. _Definitely_ Stark.)

“So, right before my run, one of our friends—a guy I _thought_ was my friend—he takes me aside, see? And says that just because my sub’s . . . got a certain reputation that I—“

“Easy there!” Sam exclaimed. Steve had started squeezing his coffee cup so hard the cardboard was warping and bending till it was about to burst.

“Sorry,” Steve said, a little distractedly. He eased up on the cup, transferred it to his left hand, and shook out his right.

“Anyway,” he continued, taking a deep breath, “he thought just because my guy’s dated before that I was . . .” Steve’s voice went low, pained, “was gonna treat him like trash, like he’s not good enough for me, like he doesn’t deserve to be cherished. Like I was the kinda guy who wouldn’t respect him, who’d just—shit!”

Steve had started squeezing again, and the coffee cup split at the seams, spilling hot coffee all over his gloves and down his leg.

“You okay?” Sam asked.

“Yeah, it’s fine. I’m not even—it’s fine,” Steve said, absently wiping at his leg, then he asked, “How could he think that of me? Of our friend?” Steve shook his head, more sad now than angry.

“You asking me what I think?” Sam asked. Steve nodded.

“Well,” Sam said, taking a long sip of coffee and gathering his thoughts. He was half tempted to show of his powers of deduction—the sub had to be Tony Stark and, with male pronouns, the ‘friend’ couldn’t be Romanov, which left Rhodes, Banner, and Barton, or an unknown party. Assuming one of those three, Rhodes was Stark’s biggest protector, but didn’t live in New York and, well, it just didn’t seem like a very scientist worry to have, so his money would be on Barton. But, hey, Steve left names out for a reason.

“Look,” Sam said, “I get why you’re upset. That was a crappy thing for your friend to say and to assume about you. Heck, you’re only my running buddy, but I’d never have thought that.”

(And it hurts a little to see Steve look so grateful.)

“But at the same time, if some asshole were gonna treat your, uh, ‘special fella’ that way, wouldn’t you want your other friend to stand up for him?”

“Yeah. Yeah, I would.” Steve cracked a hint of a smile. “Though I have a feeling—“ he cut himself off, but Sam thought he heard a hint of a ‘T’ before Steve said, “certain independent-minded submissives might resent it.”

Sam shrugged, not wanting to put a dog in that fight.

“Sure,” Sam said, “Some might. It can be hard to know where the line is between standing up for your own convictions and meddling in somebody else’s battles. But either way, sounds to me like your friend was just looking out for your guy. So maybe that’s worth focusing on.”

Steve nodded hesitantly and tossed his broken coffee cup in the bin as they passed.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Steve’s brows knit pensive and they walked in silence for a while.

Finally, Sam said, “So, hey, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“Yeah?” Steve looked surprised and perhaps a little cautious.

“Rumor has it you were good friends with Peggy Carter back in the war. That true?”

“Yeah," Steve said with a wistful smile. "She was an amazing gal.”

Sam nodded. “Don’t I know it? Turns out, you and I’ve had a friend in common.”

**Author's Note:**

> Ta-da! I adore Sam and Steve's dynamic in the films and think Anthony Mackie is charm itself, so how could I resist giving him a part in P&P. 
> 
> As for Sam's connection to Peggy Carter, all will be revealed in time! :)
> 
> Hope you liked it! Comments are a delight!


End file.
